CONVICTED (2023) | Nicola Bradley, born c. 1988, of Welsh Road, Upperby, Carlisle CA1 3AU and Tracy Dixon, born c. 1976, of Warnell Drive, Harraby, Carlisle CA1 3LR – sadistically tortured and killed a friend’s African grey parrot. Tracy Dixon (left) and Nicola Bradley were  jailed for the sadistic killing of a friendly African grey parrot called Sparky Friends Bradley and Dixon were collected from a night out by Paul Crooks, who took the women to his home at around 5.30am on July 30, 2022. As the women carried on drinking, Mr Crooks went to bed. He woke at 8.30am to find his guests had messed around with shaving foam which had gone over the cage of the parrot, Sparky. This was cleaned and, as he left his house to go shopping, he told the women to leave the bird alone. But on returning home Mr Crooks found the women wearing his clothing with Sparky unresponsive and unrecognisable, her head hanging limply out of a cage. After confronting the pair, he learned the parrot had been covered with Mr Muscle, Brasso, furniture polish, daubed in gloss paint, and also hit with a tea towel. Attempts were also made to feed Sparky to Mr Crooks’ dog before the parrot was dumped into a tumble drier which was switched on. Mr Crooks was told that Bradley had snapped Sparky’s neck with Dixon reporting the bird to be “gasping” when pulled from the drier. But after police were alerted and the women were interviewed, they sought to blame each other for the shocking cruelty. The women went on trial in July 2023 having denied causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal but were found guilty by magistrates. Mr Crooks had told the court that singing Sparky was a big hit with his friends, and used to belt out the national anthem plus theme tunes from Coronation Street and Emmerdale. Sentencing them, Judge Richard Archer said “You, together, sadistically tortured and essentially killed Sparky. It is frankly beyond comprehension how anyone could treat an animal in his way.” Sentencing | 25-month custodial. Both were banned from owning or keeping animals indefinitely. Cumbria Crack Daily Mail BBC News